


Promised Journey

by kiriash



Category: Sword Art Online (Anime & Manga), ソードアート・オンライン - 川原礫 | Sword Art Online - Kawahara Reki
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Bisexual Male Character, Boys Kissing, Caves, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Intimacy, M/M, Multi, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Partial Nudity, Rain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:14:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23138266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiriash/pseuds/kiriash
Summary: A few days have passed since the battle in the cave at the End Mountains. Now that Eugeo has acquired his new calling, he and Kirito have finally set off on their path to Zakkaria with the intentions of competing in the Norlangarth North Area Swordsmanship Competition. With a long journey ahead, the two boys face some natural obstacles along their way. In light of these minor inconveniences, they are able to have many laughs, discuss their true feelings, and deepen their relationships while learning even more about each other than they ever would have imagined!
Relationships: Eugeo & Kirigaya Kazuto | Kirito, Eugeo/Kirigaya Kazuto | Kirito, Kirito - Relationship
Comments: 1
Kudos: 76
Collections: YujiKiriweek2020





	1. Preparations

The forest south of Rulid was a dense ecosystem of various animals, trees, flowers, and greenery. Thick, gray fog covered the surrounding grounds, obstructing the view of the tall trees that encompassed the clearing. The ground was still damp from the small rain shower that had occurred, causing the grass to slightly stick to Kirito’s skin as he unconsciously rolled away from the small mat. The wet sensation broke Kirito away from slumber and he slowly sat up. Looking around the clearing, the faint smell of rain filled his senses, and he realized that the fog might indicate more rain in the future. Still groggy, Kirito averted his eyes from the surroundings and focused on his partner who was still curled up, asleep on his small mat. It was strange for Kirito to wake up on his own, let alone before Eugeo did. He cherished the small sense of victory that he felt from that fact and yawned, stretching. Kirito avoided immediately going back to sleep. Though, not by sheer will, but rather from not wanting to get his sleeping mat dirty.

“I’ll wake you up in a bit, Eugeo.” Kirito quickly mumbled to himself, as he reluctantly stood up stretching, careful not to make too much noise.

Kirito didn’t particularly like the way the wet ground felt against his bare feet, the sensation being way too realistic – and uncomfortable - for the virtual world. Keeping his footsteps light, he mused over the small nuisances that made this world what it was. The sensory output was equivalent to that of the real world, as he had figured out after receiving a painful slash on his right arm during the fight against the goblins. With bad came good, as Kirito found that the food and drinks tasted better and were more fulfilling than they ever were in Aincrad. Of course, there were also the small details of the world, like the way the ground felt against his feet when it was dry versus when it was wet. Lost in thought as usual, Kirito mentally complained about the small inconvenience of the rain at that current moment.

He would have to get used to living outdoors for a while, at least until they reached the next town. They were going to need to travel a long way today to make progress on their journey to Zakkaria, which would take approximately 1 week by foot. It had only been 2 days since they had left the small village of Rulid. However, Kirito knew that their end goal would be Centoria, and he had no idea how long it would take to get there. Kirito let his mind wander about the long journey ahead, placing a hand on his stomach to ease his growing hunger pangs.

Kirito undressed himself and placed his clothing on a nearby rock. The air was damp and humid, though slightly chilly. Since it usually warmed up later in the day, Kirito thought it to be around 8 am or so, though he couldn’t really tell based on Solus alone. Thick clouds covered any sign of knowing the actual time of day. This confirmed his predictions that it would definitely rain more at some point. As Kirito allowed himself to relax in the small river, he made a mental goal to find some sort of shelter that he and Eugeo could take cover in. Closing his eyes, he sank further into the water, eventually dunking his head, getting over the shock of the chilly water overtaking his body.

“Good morning Kirito”, a gentle voice took him out of his inner thoughts. He moved his body around to get a good look at the flaxen-haired boy whom he had grown particularly close to over the past few days.

“Mornin’ Eugeo. Sorry I didn’t wake you up immediately, I wanted to cherish the time that I was awake before you for once.”

“Glad you had your little moment of triumph, but I doubt that will happen again.”

Eugeo slipped out of his clothes, and hesitantly entered the chilly river water, sitting on a small, submerged rock a few feet away from Kirito. The boys washed their hair and bodies quickly, exchanging small banter here and there. After they had finished getting dressed, they walked back to the clearing and began to prepare provisions that they had packed for the journey.

“So, Eugeo, I was thinking at some point today we should find some sort of shelter. I’m not a huge fan of sleeping on the wet grass, and it looks like it will rain more today.”Eugeo, who was unpacking the bread, nodded his head in agreement.

“Sure, of course, if we can actually find one before it rains again, that would be great,” Handing Kirito his share of the bread, the two ate their measly breakfast.

“The forests around here are filled with endless amounts of trees, so without a map, it is confusing to understand. Not only that, but the fog will make it harder to quickly scan the area,” Eugeo finished his share of bread with a tiny gulp and continued, “I don’t think it makes sense to go out of our way to look around the forest. We should stay on the path for as long as possible and try to make it as far as we can before we stop for the evening.”

“Yeah, but we should definitely search before it gets dark, otherwise we might _really_ get lost. How old is that map anyway?” Kirito asked.

“The map we brought along has not been updated in a long time, so anything other than major roads are not marked. So as long as we stick to the given path to Zakkaria, we should be okay.” Kirito motioned his hand toward Eugeo, who was sitting closest to the bag of items that contained the map.

“Mind letting me take a look at it?”

“Finish eating your food first Kirito!” Eugeo snapped back, meanwhile, he continued to study the map.

Kirito groaned in response, the bread was not tasty at all, but he knew that if he didn’t finish it, that would be a waste.

“Fine…” Kirito began to eat a little bit quicker

He finished the bread in another two quick gulps and let out a small sigh. Somehow, he began missing the food his sister Suguha would cook for him from time to time in the real world.

“Alright, may I see it now?”

“Of course.” Eugeo handed over the map and Kirito unrolled it, feeling the worn paper texture over his fingertips. Eugeo was right, the map was scarce, only showing the main path running south with a few bends leading directly to Zakkaria. His eyes glazed over the browned paper to the even farther south city of Centoria. Knowing Eugeo’s goal and his own, Kirito wondered to himself how long it would actually take him and his partner to make it there.

“About how much farther until we make it to Zakkaria do you think?” Kirito glanced over to Eugeo who had been silently watching him from the rock that he was sitting on.

“I’d say about 5 or 6 days left of walking. Despite the map being mostly barren, I think there should be a small village or place to stop and rest along the main route,” Eugeo paused, stood up and walked over to where Kirito was sitting. Bending down to look over his shoulder, he pointed to a place that looked like it would take another day or two trip of walking on the map.

“Here. We should probably make it here within two days. Old Man Garrita mentioned that there is an inn around here that he often stopped and rested at during his travels to Zakkaria. That should be our goal for the next two days.”

As Kirito listened to Eugeo speak, he noticed Eugeo’s hand, now moving away. Before Eugeo’s hand made it too far from his reach, Kirito instinctively grasped it and placed his palm against his.

“Hey! What are you doing?” Eugeo yelped, trying to pull his arm away.

“Just comparing hand sizes! Don’t sweat it!” Kirito said in jest.

However, that wasn’t really all he was doing. He had never really considered his partner’s hands until now, but upon feeling them on his own, he noticed how his soft hands seemed to have formed calluses, probably from his years of working as a woodcutter.

“Aw man, your hand is slightly larger than mine! I thought for sure mine would be bigger.” Kirito lamented, letting go of Eugeo.

“Jeeze, warn me before you do something like that again.” Eugeo stammered, rubbing his hand vigorously where Kirito’s had been moments before.

As Eugeo started walking back to where he was sitting, Kirito began to ponder Eugeo’s personality. They had only known each other for not even a week, and yet his gentle, shy demeanor tugged Kirito in such a nostalgic way, he couldn’t pinpoint the reason. But there was a lurking sadness behind it all. He recalled Eugeo’s conviction, to rescue Alice and bring her back to Rulid, to become a swordsman, and atone for his guilt. Could his character have formed calluses just as his hands had because of that experience? Was he hiding even more pain and sadness than he chose to share? Kirito made a mental note to try and talk to him about it later. Perhaps it could answer the reasons why Kirito felt so much nostalgia around him. Eugeo sat down once more, and their eyes locked for a moment before a smile broke out between them both. 

“Well, shall we?” Kirito asked brightly, standing up.

“Of course. Let’s go before it starts to really come down.” He was referring to the dark rain clouds that were moving quickly on the horizon. The two boys packed up their belongings and began making their way down the path to Zakkaria, bantering and laughing along the way.


	2. Journey

They had been walking for a few hours already and the thick fog had already subsided when a couple of droplets pricked at Eugeo’s nose. Both he and Kirito looked up in unison, and back at each other. Kirito had a huge grin on his face.

“Oh no! It’s going to start raining Eugeo, we better find shelter!” He started running ahead, looking back at his partner with playful eyes.

“Hey, wha- why are you… ugh, wait for me!” He began to chase after him.

Soon they were at a healthy jogging pace, side by side. The rain thickened quickly.

“Do you see any place we could stop for the night?” Kirito asked through heavy and shallow breaths.

“No, I think we should look around here though,” Eugeo was huffing as he spoke. The load on his back, plus the long day of walking made him tired, and he wondered why Kirito decided to start running.

“Based on the landscape, there looks like there could be some caves.”

“We better hurry then, come on!” Kirito grabbed Eugeo’s lower arm and dragged him along.

“There’s no real reason to run you know! We’re already getting wet either way…”

Kirito veered to the left of the path, and Eugeo followed as they ran through the forest, the wet leaves sloshing underneath their boots. They eventually slowed their pace down back down to a walk.

“You were right Eugeo,” Kirito exclaimed with heaving breaths, sweat and rain dripping from his bangs onto his face, “I see some tall rocks a few mels that way! There’s probably a cave!”

The rain had picked up significantly and the temperature was dropping. This instinctively made Kirito start running again, even though he was already soaking wet. He wanted to get to where it was warm and dry as soon as possible. It was getting a little harder to see, but Eugeo and Kirito kept running towards the direction of the rocks. Little by little, the outcropping of rocks that they had seen earlier formed into cavity that came into view. It was a fairly large shelter, with enough room for both boys to stretch out comfortably. The ground was a mixture of dry soil patches and soft grass, with stretches of cool smooth rock. This was a perfect stand-in home for the night.

Their belongings had been tossed to the side without a second thought. Huffing, Eugeo glanced at Kirito from behind who was facing towards the center of the cave. He was also breathing heavily, and the ground began to form a pool of water from their wet clothes and hair.

Kirito turned around and smiled at Eugeo.

“Made it!” he sighed in relief, and walked towards Eugeo, who was still standing at the entrance.

“We still got soaked, but we made it!” He placed both of his hands on Eugeo’s upper arms and propped his head against his right shoulder. Eugeo tensed up at first, a bit embarrassed. He was not used to someone being so open to body contact like with Kirito grabbing his hand out of nowhere earlier, but he was slowly realizing the ways of his raven-haired friend. Eugeo moved his arms and placed his hands around Kirito’s upper back, feeling the drenched clothes beneath his fingers and began moving his hand in an up and down motion. Kirito, whose forehead was still on his shoulder, let out a large breath as if he had been holding it in his entire life.

“Man, if only we had started running earlier, we could have made it here without getting wet…” He lamented. His breathing was becoming more and more steady.

“There’s no use in complaining now. Just be glad we found this shelter when we did.” Eugeo was still stroking his partner’s back in a caring sort of way.

Moments later, Kirito stood up and backed away from Eugeo, his gaze wavered between him and the wet outside world. Feeling grateful for their shelter, their eyes met once more, and the two burst into laughter.

“Let’s eat.” Kirito suggested.

“Good idea. I’m starving!”

“What will we do about our clothes though? They’re soaked…”

“Oh right…” Eugeo glanced down at himself and back up to Kirito.

“Guess we have no choice then…”

Without a second thought, Kirito began taking off his clothes. Shoes first, then socks, pants and shirt last. Eugeo followed his lead, and they both set their clothes on the ground to dry overnight. Eugeo, who had seen his partner nearly fully nude earlier this morning with no problem, suddenly felt flustered at the idea that they would be eating and spending the night together in nothing more than underwear.

As the storm continued on outside their shelter, Eugeo began to light a small fire with sacred arts, making a conscious effort to not look at directly at his friend. Kirito sat and watched him recite the commands from a few mels away with a blank stare.

“ _System Call_ ,” His voice, cool and steady, “ _Generate Thermal Element._ ” Suddenly, a tiny flame erupted from his fingers. He brought his hand to the set of logs that were placed near Kirito, and the flame tripled in size. Kirito, who had been shivering moments ago, seemed relieved at the warmth from the new fire. Eugeo took out a piece of bread from his bag and handed it to Kirito, still averting his eyes.  
“Bread again, huh?” Kirito accepted the piece with hesitation, “I could really go for some meat right about now…”

At last, Eugeo sat down in crisscross fashion and joined his partner across the campfire. For some reason, he could not look directly at Kirito.

“That’s all we have for now, so we’ll have to deal with it for a few more days.” He murmured quietly.

“Eugeo, look at me.”

Eugeo seized movement for a moment. Clearly, Kirito had noticed his lack of eye contact. He felt strange, but he brought his gaze directly to his friend, his face slightly red from embarrassment.

“Why are you asking me to do that?”

“Why are _you_ acting like this is such a big deal? Didn’t we _bathe_ together this morning?” Kirito took a large bite of his bread and his face grimaced a bit at the texture.

“Well yeah, but…” Eugeo looked away again, and down at his bread that he was holding in his lap. He still hadn’t taken a bite.

“The water covered most of you then.” He stammered.

“We’re both boys, it’s fine,” Kirito explained, “We have the important bits covered. You are embarrassing me with that face of yours.”

He gave Eugeo his signature cheeky grin, but it took Eugeo a moment to meet his eyes once more.

“You’re right. I don’t understand why I am flustered for nothing… it’s so strange,” His face turned back to the floor midway through, and in his softest, warmest voice, he continued,

“I’m just not used to this kind of exposure around others for anything other than bathing…” Eugeo finally started to slowly eat the bread that he had been holding.

Out of the corner of his eye, he felt Kirito’s dark eyes panning up and down his body. “What is he thinking about right now?” He thought to himself.

He couldn’t bring himself to look back just yet, so Eugeo continued to nibble at his food. It was just as bland as usual, and he felt a pang of longing for Alice’s delicious lunches. Even so, he found that the bread he was used to eating daily alone at the Gigas Cedar definitely tasted better when he was with someone else. He was not alone. The boy who was sitting across from him, that boy that was currently still staring at him, was here. It had only been a week, but Eugeo felt like he had known Kirito his whole life. Kirito was helping him reach his goals, but he could not help but wonder what his partner’s true intentions were. There was an air of mystery around him that he still could not decipher. He did not know why, but he felt a warmth inside, and a slight smile growing on his lips. After talking himself through it, he finally felt a little more comfortable without the majority of his clothes on.

“Kirito, you know that I can see you staring right?” Eugeo looked over at him with a smirk.

That one sentence was all it took to snap Kirito out of what looked like deep thought, and for the first time, he saw his friend’s face flushed with a light red color.

“Oh! S-sorry! I was… I was just lost in thought…” Kirito stammered in a high-pitched voice.

Eugeo couldn’t help but laugh at the sudden pitch change, “Oh? About what now?” he smirked, and scooched closer to him. He couldn’t be the only one getting teased by Kirito. His partner looked away panicked.

“Oh y-you know…just thinking about our journey ahead…that’s all.” he laughed nervously.

“Oh really now?” Eugeo teased and jabbed at his partner’s shoulder with his fist.

“Hey now…” Kirito rubbed the back of his head with his hand and when his embarrassed smile subsided and turned serious, Eugeo began to panic. What could he possibly be thinking now? Without a word, Kirito got onto his hands and knees, his face out of view from Eugeo. He slowly, but steadily crawled over to his bag and he pulled out a bottle and two cups. He held up the long bottle, wrapped with an intricate twine pattern, and gave Eugeo the most mischievous grin that he had personally ever seen. It sent a shiver down his spine.

“Is that-” Eugeo gasped.

“Old Maiden’s Bell” Kirito made his way back towards Eugeo, carrying both the bottle and the two cups in his arms.

“How did you get that?” Eugeo began raising his voice out of concern,

“We aren’t old enough to buy liquor yet…” Both he and Kirito were only 17 at the time. The legal age to buy alcohol was 18. Not only that, but alcohol was expensive. How could Kirito have acquired the funds in less than a day to buy alcohol before they left?

“I have my ways” Kirito snickered, and began pouring his partner a glass.

“Here! Take some. I brought it so we could have a little fun on our journey.” He handed Eugeo the glass with a wink and began pouring his own. The way Kirito was able to change his personality so quickly depending on the mood was astonishing to Eugeo. Reluctantly, he took the glass from his partner’s hands, and although he was still concerned at his methods of acquiring it, there was some excitement at the chance to drink alcohol. Drinking alcohol was something that he did not get to experience often, and thus, he considered it to be a treat. Lifting the glass to his lips, the smell of Old Maiden’s Bell, a relatively sweet wine, reached his nose.

“Wait!” He heard Kirito shout. Confused, Eugeo looked at him and tilted his head indicating he was waiting for him to go on.

“Let’s toast!” He held up his glass in his right hand and motioned for Eugeo to do the same.

Eugeo couldn’t help but smile. Here he was, sitting with his friend, no clothes except for their trousers, drinking Old Maiden’s Bell next to a warm fire in a cave somewhere outside of Rulid. He smiled because he would never have expected to be in this position his entire life. He was grateful for what opportunity Kirito had given him. An opportunity to become a swordsman and travel far beyond the suffocating village where he grew up. Warmth brewed in his chest and he beamed from ear to ear. He then raised his glass to meet Kirito’s.

“A toast to our journey ahead!” Passion radiated through his voice, and a with a small _clink_ , they indulged in their liquid treasure.

The heavy rain continued to drown out the sound of the cackling fire as the two boys drank, sharing laugher and a conversation that lasted for the next hour, until the fire had completely dimmed out.


	3. Comfort

Kirito sat against a rock for support, the bottle of Old Maiden’s Bell had been knocked over, and its contents were completely gone. The rain continued lightly in the background and Kirito took note of his surroundings as he looked around the cave. Things were a little blurry, and he felt warmth radiating from his chest even though the fire was no longer burning, and the temperature had obviously dropped significantly. Perhaps he had a little too much to drink, but he didn’t mind at all. He looked down at his flaxen-haired friend, who was currently laying down in his lap, half asleep.

“He is definitely a little drunk.” Kirito thought. Eugeo was mumbling to himself about how he was apparently “so much stronger than Kirito”, and despite his best attempts to not make too much noise, Kirito burst into laughter. He brought his right hand to Eugeo’s face and gently stroked his cheek.

“Hey, aren’t you getting a little cocky there?” Kirito’s tone was sweet, but chaff. Eugeo continued to mumble, but this time Kirito wasn’t able to make out what he said.

“Eugeo…” Kirito griped, “Get off me. You’re heavy. I want to go to sleep.” He started to attempt to lift his partner’s head off of his legs.

“Wha----” Eugeo’s green eyes flickered open and he gazed upward, dazed. His cheeks were flushed red, but he couldn’t tell if it was from the alcohol or from something else.

“Sorry, Kirito.” He mumbled, rubbing his eyes, “I didn’t realize that I had nearly passed out there. How long was I out for?”

“Only about 10 minutes. I just didn’t want you to actually fall asleep right there you know?”

Eugeo sat up and paused for a brief moment. “I’m tired too, I think…I think we should call it a day.” Without another word, Eugeo attempted to stand up, but since he was still slightly drunk, he lost his balance and fell backwards.

“Woah!” he yelped, startled. Luckily, Kirito stood up in time and allowed his partner’s body to fall onto his.

“I got ya.” He whispered assuredly as he supported his friend’s weight, wrapping his arms around Eugeo’s chest.

“T-thanks... I guess I should have been more careful, huh” Eugeo whispered, allowing his left hand to rest on Kirito’s forearms and gently rubbed them as an additional sign that he was grateful. Much to Kirito’s surprise, Eugeo didn’t try to break away from his embrace immediately. Kirito brought his own body in a little closer, to where his chest was touching Eugeo’s back. He felt an even greater warmth brew up in his entire body, and he wondered if Eugeo was experiencing the same sensation. Without hesitation, Kirito loosened his embrace and spun Eugeo around so that he was directly facing him.

“I’ll always be here to support you! So please do the same for me!” Kirito blurted out; a wry grin appeared on his face. He mentally blamed the alcohol for making him say dumb things. Eugeo’s eyes widened, and he giggled softly, turning into a heavy laugh. He laughed so much that his eyes began watering.

“Where’d _that_ declaration come from?” Eugeo wiped the tears from his eyes and continued. “Okay. Let’s support each other from now on!” Eugeo exclaimed, and gently knocked at Kirito’s chest with his right hand. Kirito couldn’t help but smile. The two walked over to their bags. Although they were still wet on the outside, luckily, the contents inside remained dry. They pulled out their sleeping mats, blankets and pillows and took them over to the small grassy area in the cave. Together, they laid out their belongings so that their sleeping quarters for the night were right next to each other.

“Ahh. I’m totally beat.” Kirito stretched upwards one final time and yawned. He and his partner both sat down on their mats in a crisscross fashion.

“Me too, I actually wouldn’t count on me waking up early tomorrow.” Eugeo said, continuing to stretch his muscles.

“Hey Eugeo? Before we go to bed, I’d like you to hear me out.” Kirito’s face lit up with an idea.

“What is it?” Eugeo was facing him intently now, not even 1 mel away. 

“I think we should make a special handshake.”

“A handshake? What for?” Eugeo’s eyes widened in curiosity and he leaned in a little closer.

Putting his right hand up into a fist, Kirito explained.

“Well, I couldn’t help but notice you used your fist to hit my chest just a moment ago,” Kirito knocked on his own chest multiple times to demonstrate, “It gave me the idea that we could do something like that, but where it’s both of us involved…something only we know, and something we do to pump ourselves up!” Kirito grinned as he finished offering his suggestion.

“That actually sounds interesting…what did you have in mind?” Eugeo tilted his head in curiosity. Kirito brought his right hand to his chin and groaned in thought. He was trying to remember the handshakes that he had seen in the TV shows he had watched growing up. He quickly came up with something preliminary.

“Well, what about this? Follow my lead the best you can.”

Kirito began, his right hand above Eugeo’s, palm facing down. He realized Eugeo was still a bit confused, so with his left hand, he took Eugeo’s right hand and flipped it palm side up, so that it was directly underneath his own right hand.

“Okay, so we clap hands together here…” Kirito moved his right hand down and slapped it against Eugeo’s hand, “Got that? And then we switch places. So now you hit my hand from the top.” Eugeo moved his hand downward to meet Kirito’s.

“And then we fist bump,” Kirito formed his hand into a fist and their knuckles met gently in the middle. Thinking ahead, most handshakes he remembered would probably end there, but he wanted to make it special somehow.

“Now… cross your whole arm across your chest like this, still making a fist though!” Kirito demonstrated and watched his partner follow his motions intently.

“Great, that will be to symbolize that we will do our best to honor the promises that we made for each other, and the promises we made to ourselves.” Kirito was speaking theatrically now. He moved his right arm forward and motioned for Eugeo to do the same.

“Then we cross arms here,” Eugeo and Kirito’s right arms methodically crossed at the mid forearm.

“This will represent that we will always have each other’s backs and we will always work together. For together, we are stronger.” Kirito instructed.

“Aaaaannddd that’s all I could think of,” He lamented, his voice reverting back to his normal tone. “You got anything else you think would be nice to add, Eugeo?”

Eugeo paused for a moment and his face lit up. “What about this?”

He watched as his partner moved his right index finger to his own lips as he spoke.

“It can symbolize that this handshake is ours, and ours alone. So, it’s like a secret, and we should be quiet about it!” Eugeo suggested with a smile.

“Hey, that’s actually a great idea! I like your way of thinking. That’s why you’re my partner after all.” Kirito followed Eugeo’s lead grinning and holding his index finger to his lips.

“And then from there we can send our finger straight up into the air, symbolizing where we want to go! The top of the Axiom Church! To rescue Alice!” Eugeo exclaimed.

“Oh, that’s an incredible ending actually. I like it a lot!” Kirito began doing the motions for the handshake by himself to try to solidify it into his memory, and he noticed Eugeo doing the same.

“Let’s practice now.” Kirito instructed. For the next 3 minutes, they continued to practice their new handshake over and over, until they had managed to get into a consistent rhythm. It was a little shaky, but Kirito blamed the alcohol for that. He knew that after sleeping on it, it would be easier in the morning.

“Alright, I’d say we have a pretty good grasp on it. Don’t forget it now, Eugeo.” Kirito teased.

“As if I would.” Eugeo shot back.

“Well, I’m going to bed now,” Kirito sank downwards on to his mat, and pulled the small blanket over the lower half of his body. The alcohol was starting to wear off and he felt a little chilly, even with the blanket over him. He was facing away from Eugeo and closed his eyes, when he felt warmth suddenly press against him from behind. Eugeo’s arm was wrapped around Kirito and his face was pushed into the nape of his neck. What was with this sudden shift in mood?

“Kirito…” Eugeo softly mumbled, tightening his embrace.

“Eugeo? What’s wrong?” Kirito wondered if the alcohol was responsible for this sudden move, but the shaky tone of his voice concerned him.

“I know this is out of the blue, but…sometimes I worry that I’m going to lose those that I love. I have many regrets, and I’ve already lost Alice. I’m worried that I’m going to lose you, too and it scares me.” Eugeo whimpered.

“Come on now, Eugeo…” Kirito gently touched his partner’s hands,

“There’s nothing to be afraid of. I’m tougher than I look, actually! You won’t lose me, I promise.”

“How can you even know that…” Eugeo’s voice was barely more than a whisper. Kirito knew that if he died in this world, he wouldn’t be gone forever, but he couldn’t tell his friend that. Instead, he changed the subject. This would be the perfect opportunity to deepen their bond.

“I’m honestly more scared of losing you, Eugeo.” Kirito turned his body to face him. He put his arm around Eugeo and said what had been on his mind the entire day.

“I have only just met you, but it really does feel like I’ve known you for an eternity. I think…I don’t know how to explain it, but I think we grew up together. I think we’ve been friends for a lot longer than a week, Eugeo.” Kirito buried his forehead into his friend’s shoulder and closed his eyes, moving even closer to Eugeo’s body so that they were now in an embrace.

“That logically seems crazy, but I don’t doubt you because I feel the same.” Eugeo murmured as his hands ran up and down Kirito’s spine, feeling each and every individual vertebra. The sensation gave Kirito goosebumps, and he pressed even further into his partner’s chest as a response.

“I want to be there for you, not only as a sword partner, but emotionally as well,” Kirito said softly, and began touching Eugeo’s back in the same fashion. He felt his friend’s body tremble a bit, and gently placed his own forehead against Eugeo’s. Now that their faces were so close, Kirito could feel his entire body exploding with a burning, tingling sensation as he continued.

“So, please, if you ever are feeling hopeless, lost, sad, or anything at all. Please don’t suffer alone. Share your burdens with me.” Kirito closed his eyes, and he gently placed his hand on Eugeo’s cheek. Time stopped as his lips met Eugeo’s. They were soft, it was so warm, and the feeling was indescribable, but Eugeo was trembling. His hands instinctively moved towards Kirito’s chest, as if he were trying to find peace from his own inner demons. Before long, their lips were simply grazing the surface, ever so slightly touching. Warm breaths escaped, and Kirito felt suddenly peaceful as he opened his eyes once more. Eugeo’s eyes swelled up with tears, and this time, he was the one to bury his face into Kirito’s shoulder. Kirito wrapped his arm around his partner and hugged him tightly.

“I will. Thank you for worrying about me,” His voice was quivering, and quiet. “I am so thankful to have you in my life, Kirito. I don’t know what I would do without you…Please…don’t ever go….”

“We’re going to be okay. Just trust me, Eugeo…I won’t let you die! We’re going to make it to Zakkaria, and win the tournament, and attend Swordcraft Academy and -” he was interrupted by Eugeo, who probably couldn’t keep up with the sudden increase in pace of his words. Instead he simply sounded in agreement and shakily began to offer his final words before sleep finally overtook him.

“And…I won’t let you…die either. That’s…. a promise”, Eugeo pulled away slightly and put his finger to his lips, perhaps indicating that what happened just now should be kept a secret between the two of them. Kirito nodded, noticing the tears that were still left in his eyes.

“Like we said before… I promise….I’ll always be here for you… Kirito…” Eugeo trailed off, his eyes began flickering up and down. Just as he had suspected, Eugeo was only able to process the first part of the sentence.

Kirito couldn’t contain the feeling building up in his chest. The way Eugeo said that to him, it was just too cute to bear. He gently cupped Eugeo’s cheek in his hand again, wiping away the last of the tears from Eugeo’s eyelashes with his thumb. He intently observed the way that Eugeo responded to his touch. Eugeo’s eyes were completely closed now, and his face was flushed, but it was clear that he was completely okay with what was happening. The way he touched Eugeo, it was similar to how he touched Asuna back in the real world. Suddenly, thoughts of his girlfriend, who was probably worried about him at this very moment, reached his mind. Feelings of melancholy overtook him for a brief second, only to be brought back to warmth and happiness when he felt Eugeo’s hand touch his shoulder again. Yes, he couldn’t see his love Asuna for a long time. However, right now in this moment, he was feeling such intense care and gratitude for Eugeo. Kirito wasn’t sure how to process these feelings, but he knew that he loved Eugeo deeply, on the same level as Asuna. He wanted to do everything in his power to bring Eugeo back to the real world someday. Regardless of how he felt right now, he knew first and foremost that Eugeo was his dearest friend, and maybe even more after this.

Eugeo and Kirito stayed in an embrace sharing each other’s warmth for the next few minutes in silence, until it was clear that Eugeo had fallen asleep. Kirito was nearing that state as well, and he felt his eyelids getting heavier and heavier. Subconsciously, Eugeo switched positions onto his back and grasped Kirito’s arm that was now draped across Eugeo’s chest. It was as if he was instinctively keeping Kirito safe. Although nearing sleep, Kirito could hear Eugeo’s slow and shallow breaths and feel Eugeo’s steady heartbeat, and the warmth from his chest against the palm of his hand. That heartbeat was comforting. It was proof that Eugeo was very much as alive as he was, even though he was some complex AI in a virtual world. It was hard to believe. As Kirito slowly drifted off into sleep, he found solace in the sound of the rain lightly hitting the rocks outside and in the soft sensation of Eugeo’s skin under his palm.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! Thank you for reading my very first fan fiction! I started this fan fiction on December 6th, 2018 and just now finished it on March 13, 2020. I took a long break in between when I couldn’t think of what to write next (end of chapter 1). Then one day, I suddenly had an urge to continue the story and I wrote chapter 2 and 3 in the last 2 months. I’ve written stories before, but none were ever this long, I don’t think. I’m proud of myself, but also super embarrassed because I don’t consider myself the greatest writer, and people will probably cringe at some things I wrote, but I tried my best to keep it as authentic as possible! Thank you Reki Kawahara for creating a story as beautiful as Sword Art Online and for compelling me to write something of my own with your characters! I hope someday I’m able to tell him how much I love his works. Anyway, just wanted to mention a few quick things. 
> 
> I am slightly diverting from canon and Kirito and Eugeo are both bisexual in this fic. Kirito still in a relationship with Asuna, but he’s never been with another guy, let alone ever allowed himself to think like this about a guy…so this sensation is new and unfamiliar to him, and he is not sure how to process these feelings. He’s simply just curious about it and it leads to this. It was supposed to be harmless, but then I couldn’t help myself and I added a kiss. Pretty sure the alcohol had a factor to play in it :') I made sure to mention Asuna at least once in this fic to make sure that everyone knew that Kirito still cares about her too, but of course, that’s not the main focus. I truly apologize if this made anyone uncomfortable, since this is technically cheating. T_T I never thought I’d write this, but I ship both Eugeo and Asuna with Kirito so this is…problematic. I swear Kirito isn’t a bad person!! He meant no harm…  
> Also, if you were wondering how Kirito acquired the alcohol…well, he took the alcohol from the party celebrating Eugeo’s new calling. Technically everything was fair game there so there would be no penalty for taking an entire bottle for himself. ;) 
> 
> MORE Fun facts! In the moment that Kirito was lost in thought, this is what was going through his mind: 
> 
> "He let his eyes wander, eyeing Eugeo’s build. It was lean and muscular, much like his own. However, his body mirrored years of training. In a competition of pure muscle strength, Eugeo was definitely superior. He honestly found his partner’s body to be visually pleasing to look at, though, he felt slightly weird for admitting to that."
> 
> In reality, I originally wrote the entire second chapter in Kirito’s POV, but I wanted to write in Eugeo’s POV too, so I went back and rewrote everything to be from Eugeo’s POV, so this bit got taken out.
> 
> Anyway, thank you for reading this far if you did! I hope you enjoyed it! I’d love to hear any comments you have. Sorry it’s so long too. I couldn’t help myself there.
> 
> -Ashley, March 13th 2020, 3:36 PM


End file.
